Like this article? We recommend

The RIM Platform

The RIM platform is composed of two primary devices: the 850/950 (see Figure
1) and the 857/957 (see Figure
2). Both of these devices contain an Intel 80386 processor, at least 4MB
of memory, a full keyboard, an embedded wireless modem, docking cradles, and
RIM's BlackBerry email service. In the U.S., the 850 and 857 devices run
on the Motient DataTAC network,
while the 950 and 957 devices run on the Cingular
Mobitex network.

For the time being, RIM devices will run a proprietary operating system (OS)
that includes support for graphics, messaging, and structured storage on the
device. I say "for the time being" because RIM has announced plans to
incorporate Java into the core of their OS, allowing Java developers to take
advantage of the application programming interfaces (APIs) that they've
grown to know and love...with some RIM extensions. A number of APIs are defined
and made public by RIM for third-party application development purposes,
including these:

Radio API. Includes calls to monitor status on device radio and
wireless network connection.

Ribbon API. The ribbon is the GUI element on a BlackBerry
device that allows the user to select and launch applications. The ribbon can be
scrolled and selected using the on-device trackwheel. This API allows the
developer to manipulate the contents and actions of the ribbon.

Messaging API. Allows the developer to send/receive messages from
within a custom application as well as process received attachments.

Like most modern operating systems, the APIs discussed above are all
implemented as C libraries. This isn't to say that only C programming is
supported on BlackBerry devices. As described in the next section, a wide
variety of programming languages are available, from Java to C++ to HTML.